Put On Your Red Shoes

I've been mesmerized by this photo, searching for it repeatedly, and posting it here without express permission but with the utmost respect and admiration for its owner, the Pennsylvania Ballet. This shot is from the Ballet's website for the 2009/10 season. Just look at it, ahhh....And then look again--yes, those are both male and female bodies on that stage in those skirts.

As I gawk at the sight of these dancers from behind, I remember the phrase "ballerina back" (closely related to ballerina butt, but higher up). The backs of dancers are traditionally so well-developed and defined. In bodybuilder terms we might call them "cut". So what's the deal with dancers' workouts that helps them achieve these enviable backs?

For male dancers, it's a little more obvious. Pro ballet men regular lift weights-- heavy weights actually--in the form of human bodies (their female partners). But for a woman, and for the corps of men who don't get much pas de deux (steps of two) work, those ballet backs still stand out as remarkable.

This is the answer, then, as far as I can figure it:

1. They hold their arms up a lot. Every day. Their arms, plus gravity, equal enough weight to stimulate muscle development of the shoulders and back.
2. They do some cardio via their dancing, but it's in intervals of varying intensity. Dancers are interval trainers. They go slow, then very fast... they alternate body weight exercise with powerful jumps and leaps... they work hard, and get sweaty and tired and sore. They are fine work horses, and it shows.
3. They don't have a lot of body fat, and especially no back fat, as a result of numbers 1. and 2. And they take care of their bodies with proper athlete nutrition. Or at least, it looks that way. If they ate too little, they'd be skinny. If they ate too much or ate a lot of junk, they wouldn't be able to do what they do for long enough to make it on to this level of stage posing.

Can we imitate? In some ways, sure we can. But if we have a sedentary or lightly active job, versus a physical one that requires lifting and arms up and sweating and intense intervals of various type of exercises, then we probably can't expect to be quite where these ballerina backs are at. Plus they're probably all between the ages of 20 and mid-thirties, tops. They make doing what it takes to be in this sort of shape the main focus of their lives, too.

But all that aside, we can imitate to a certain degree. If you like good back, lift more, and use your arms out in front, out at your sides and up over head more. Eat well and eat enough. Train in intervals of intense cardio, full body power moves, and body weight strength moves.

Orrrrrr.... you could sign up for some ballet classes, maybe? Whatever you choose, if you Pick One Thing and that Thing is Your Back, make sure you take some time to check it out from behind once in a while. We spend so much time looking at the fronts of ourselves, it's nice to focus on the beauty from rear sometimes.

Enjoy the view!